The Hiring Trap: Why Over-Focusing on Titles Can Hold You Back

We've worked with enough CEOs to know this:

When you're hiring a C-suite leader, especially in finance, you’re not just filling a role. You’re solving for confidence, clarity, and capability.

But here’s the catch—many hiring processes are unintentionally designed to filter out the very candidates who can deliver those outcomes.

Recently, we helped a CEO who’d spent months trying to hire a CFO. He’d interviewed candidates with big titles and polished résumés—but none of them stuck. Why?

Because none could deliver what his business needed:

• Real operational insight

• PE investor credibility

• Scalable, hands-on leadership

  
  

Eventually, we introduced someone different. A Controller, not a titled CFO. But he’d been doing the work in a high-growth SaaS environment—leading FP&A, building reporting infrastructure, and navigating PE relationships.

And that made all the difference.

90 days later, he delivered:

• 40% faster reporting

• Elevated investor confidence

• A CEO who finally had peace of mind

  
  

This isn’t about taking risks. It’s about understanding value.

What this means for companies:

Your hiring process should absolutely be driven by the needs of your business. If you need someone who’s operated in a PE-backed exit, that matters. If you need someone with boardroom polish, that matters. If you need a CFO who can scale finance at speed, that matters.

But here’s where we see companies go wrong:

They use titles as a shortcut for readiness—when what really matters is proof of capability.

Too many exceptional operators are overlooked because their résumé doesn’t reflect their real contributions. And too many “perfect-on-paper” hires fall short because the depth isn't there.

Our job isn’t to convince you to lower the bar. It’s to make sure we’re asking the right questions—so you don’t miss the leaders who exceed it.

Because the best hire isn’t always the obvious one. It’s the one who gets the job done.

Let’s build a smarter search process—one that finds the right fit, not just the right résumé.